I have had no success trying to overwinter perennials in my wooden whiskey barrel. Even with mulching thickly and placing bags of leaves around the barrel the plants did not survive. Now I plant only annuals in my barrel.

The only perennials I can over winter in a pot are low growing sedum and corydalis lutea. I think the only reason the corydalis "over winters " is because it reseeds. After decades of gardening, this is the result in zone 5. What are you hoping to save?

sherry

Do you have a garage or shed? You can put it in either for the winter, then pull it out in the spring and water. I do this with many of mine and they survive just fine. I am one zone warmer but it wouldn't hurt to try.

I think the general rule of thumb for overwintering perennials in containers is they need to be two zones hardier. I overwinter the same hosta each year in pots that I throw under my back deck. Whatever you want to overwinter would probably have to be a zone 3, or go in a garage, etc.

What are you trying to overwinter? Some perennials are hardier and tougher than others.

I have a wooden whiskey barrel and a clay chimney tile, both of which have ribbon grass (a plant too invasive to allow to roam the garden IMO) that has survived many years. I wasn't able to overwinter bulbs, hosta, or chrysanthemums, among other plants I tried, despite the planters being buried in snow for the majority of the winter.

If you want to have your zone show up with your name in the posts:

Go to Your Houzz in upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone.

If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures.

Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.

more specificity on where you are ...

and whats the media in your pot ... what is the size of your pot ...

the issue is water retention after the media freezes .... freeze/thaw cycle in mid winter ... and early thawing with snow melt and rain in very late winter.. early spring ... i call it.. freezing them into an ice cube ... roots need air ...

it would all be easier.. if you just planted the perennials in teh ground and mulched.. and put them back in the pot in mid to late spring... just as they are waking up ...

are we talking about anything exotic or foo foo... do you mind losing them to experiment ....???

ken